Larry Sharp was a gentleman and someone who did much to advance credit unions ("Former Arrowhead CEO Larry Sharp Dies: In Memoriam," CU Times, Feb. 18).

I saw Larry often at the annual California Credit Union Roundtable, at the CUNA GAC, at the CCUL Government Relations Rally and he and I co-chaired the Vision 2000 task force that revised the California Credit Union Leagues governance structure.

Larry was a great entrepreneur. He started a number of CUSOs and was often ahead of his peers in recognizing new ways to serve members. He was a leader in serving small business, he was leader in bringing trust services to his members, he was a leader in brining insurance services to his members. Most importantly, he was deeply involved in regulatory advocacy and in political advocacy. Larry went to Congressional and legislative leaders and made the case for important legislation or in many cases, against bad legislation. He was always out in front. He was always vocal. He was a leader.